Manure spreading apparatus

ABSTRACT

A material spreader comprising a mobile tank for receiving and discharging waste material, such as manure. The spreader includes a conveying assembly comprising one or more augers rotatably mounted in the tank for conveying material received in the tank to a discharge area. An opening in the vicinity of the discharge area permits material to be dispensed to a slinger assembly mounted outside the tank adjacent the opening. Material is distributed by the slinger in a controlled pattern as the tank is transported over a field.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/027,255, filed Sep. 30, 1996, and is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/927,146, filed Sep. 3, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No.5,941,464, entitled "Manure Spreader Apparatus".

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a tank type manure spreaderand more particularly to apparatus for containing manure, transportingthe contained manure to a discharge area, such as a field, anddispensing the manure onto the field.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various mobile equipment exists for dispensing a wide range offertilizers onto lawns, gardens and fields. Of particular interest withrespect to the present application is fertilizer spreading apparatus ofthe type commonly referred to as a manure spreader, which as its nameimplies is typically used to spread animal wastes, such as barnyardmanure. In a typical farm operation, manure is hauled from a confinedholding area and dispensed as fertilizer onto fields where crops are tobe grown. To this end, a variety of manure spreaders have been developedover the years to haul and distribute different types of manure. Forinstance, conventional box spreaders are preferred for handling dry,clumpy types of manure.

Box spreaders, well known in the agricultural implement art, include abox-like container having a conveyor moveable along the floor fortransferring the material to the rear of the box. Rotating beaters,typically paddle shaped, are mounted in a transverse fashion at the rearof the box to engage and break up the material that has been conveyedrearwardly. The paddles also serve to distribute the broken up materialin a swath as the spreader is transported across the field.

Even though box spreaders have proven to be effective for dry, clumpymanure, they have not been as effective for transporting anddistributing manure having a significant liquid content. One problem isthat box spreaders are not sealed, resulting in leakage when liquid orsemi-liquid is being transported to the field, which in many instancesis over publicly traveled roadways. To overcome this and other problemsencountered with respect to the handling of liquid types of manure,spreaders have been developed in which the material is held in a leakresistant container.

In one common design the container is a tank having a cross section thatis generally V-shaped with inwardly angled sides for guiding thematerial to an auger assembly mounted in the bottom thereof, which inturn conveys the material to a distribution assembly for discharge fromthe tank. This type of spreader, as opposed to a box spreader, iscommonly referred to as a tank spreader and is well adapted for handlingcattle manure in liquid or slurry form as well as other types of manuresuch as swine and poultry manure.

In tank type spreaders, there are various arrangements employing eitherone or two augers for moving the material to the discharge area. Atypical example of a single auger machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No.5,221,049, issued Jun. 22, 1993 in the name of Gilbert W. Linde, et al.In this spreader a single auger in the bottom of the tank conveysmaterial to a distribution assembly that expels material out the side ofthe tank. The spreaders described in the following paragraphs all relateto double auger machines.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,943, issued Feb. 7, 1995 in the name of KennethJ. Peters, a dual auger arrangement is depicted in which a transversebeater type expeller is mounted above the augers to engage material asit is urged rearwardly by the augers. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,638, issuedApr. 6, 1993 in the name of Thomas R. Fischer, and U.S. Pat. No.5,275,335, issued Jan. 4, 1994 in the name of Stanley W. Knight, et al,dual augers, rotating in the same direction, are utilized in acooperative manner to convey material to a side discharge assembly. Inthe '335 patent one auger is mounted above the other, while in the '638patent the augers are mounted in a side-by-side fashion at the sameelevation. In still another representative prior art machine, dualaugers are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,494, issued Jul. 25, 1995 alsoin the name of Stanley W. Knight, et al. In one embodiment of the '494machine the augers are counter rotating and have different diameters,one of which is used as a feed auger and the other of which is used as adischarge auger.

In another type of prior art tank spreaders, dual augers urge materialto expellers that are mounted for rotation about rearwardly locatedhorizontal shafts. Exemplary of this combination are U.S. Pat. No.3,871,588, issued Mar. 18, 1975 in the name of John B. Long, et al, U.S.Pat. No. 4,124,166, issued Nov. 7, 1978 in the name of Gustave Lucas,and U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,085, issued Jan. 31, 1989 in the name of ThomasR. Fischer.

In yet another arrangement wherein dual augers urge material rearwardlyfor discharge, expellers are mounted to rotate about vertical axes.Typical of this latter arrangement, is U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,404, issuedMar. 26, 1996 in the name of Donald A. Meyer, et al, which in theprincipal embodiment shows rotary expeller means with blades extendingfrom a vertical shaft mounted rearwardly and external of the tank.

Another example of the latter arrangement is an early U.S. Pat. No.2,296,909, issued Sep. 29, 1942 in the name of Merrills L. Dake, showinga truck mounted spreader used for spreading granulated material, such assalt, sand, or the like. In this spreader the augers, mounted within aflat bottomed tank, are counter rotating to discharge the materialthrough an opening in the back wall of the tank onto distribution discsrotating about vertical shafts.

Notwithstanding the numerous kinds of spreaders available fortransporting and discharging slurry type manures that are somewhatliquid in consistency, applicants have embraced additional needs for areliable spreader that effectively spreads manure in a desired patternon the field. More particularly, applicants have determined that thegeneral need exists for spreading material, having a range ofliquification from a sticky type pen manure to a wetter type, such asmunicipal sludge, without disruption of operation regardless of weatherconditions. The below described apparatus is a new and useful solution,not heretofore devised, to these problems that addresses these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An important object of the present invention is to overcome the problemsmentioned above by providing improved mobile apparatus for transportingand distributing material such as manure.

In pursuance of this and other important objects the present inventioncontemplates a new and improved material spreader having a mobile tankfor receiving and discharging material to be distributed, a pair ofaugers rotatably mounted in the tank for conveying material received inthe tank to a discharge area, an opening in the tank in the vicinity ofthe discharge area, and distribution means mounted outside the tank forreceiving material discharged through the opening and distributing it asthe tank is transported over a field. The distribution means comprise apair of slingers each associated with a corresponding auger andcomprising a flat material receiving spinner member having materialengaging means extending upwardly therefrom. The distribution meansfurther comprising a pair of rotatably mounted vertical shafts on whichthe material receiving spinner members are mounted, and means forrotating the shafts in opposite directions, whereby material received inthe tank is urged toward the discharge area by the augers and dropped onthe spinner members via the opening whereupon it is engaged by thematerial engaging means and propelled away from the tank.

The invention more particularly contemplates a material spreader of thegeneral type described above wherein the augers have an end portion withinterrupted flighting extending outwardly from the rear wall of thetank. The augers are operatively disposed above the spinner membersmounted on vertical driven shafts extending through the interruptions inthe flighting.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of thedetailed description which follows, in conjunction with the accompanyingsheets of drawings wherein both the principal embodiment and a secondembodiment of the present invention are illustrated by way of example.It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are forillustrative purposes and are not to be construed as defining the limitsof the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a manure spreader.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the manure spreader shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view, taken from the right end of the manure spreader shownin FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of the rear portion of theauger on the right side of the manure spreader shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the auger shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a manure spreader inwhich the elements of the claimed invention are incorporated.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top view of the manure spreader shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view, taken from the right end of the manure spreader shownin FIGS. 6 and 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings for a more detailed description of thepresent invention, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show the side, top and end views ofa manure spreader, generally designated by reference numeral 10, inwhich the elements of the present invention are incorporated. Morespecifically, spreader 10 includes a tank 11, with a capacity of 3000gallons, mounted on a frame 12 supported by a pair of tandem groundengaging wheels 13, 14 on the left side, shown in FIG. 1, and a likepair of tandemly mounted ground engaging wheels 15 (only one shown) onthe right side. A towing vehicle, such as a tractor, is hitched intowing and driving engagement with the spreader via a tongue 16 and adrive shaft 17. Rotative force from shaft 17 (attached to tractor powertake-off ("PTO") shaft in conventional manner) is coupled to hydraulicpump 18 via drive belt 20.

Tank 11 comprises front wall 21, rear wall 22, a pair of inclined sidewalls 23, 24, and bottom 25 comprising a pair of side-by-side, adjacent,arcuate troughs separated by an intermediate interconnecting area.Mounted within the trough are a pair of augers 26, 27 having flighting28, 30 with a circular projection of approximately 24 inches that isaccommodated by the radius of the arcuate troughs 31, 32, respectively.The augers, mounted in bearing assemblies 33, 34 affixed to the rearwall 22, are driven by a pair of hydraulic motors 35, 36 to rotateflighting 28, 30 in opposite directions (arrows a and b) that urgematerial in the bottom of tank 11 in a rearward direction. Motors 35, 36operatively coupled to pump 18 in a conventional manner, are mounted onframe 12 within enclosure 39 extending forwardly from front wall 21.

A discharge area in the rear bottom vicinity of tank 11 includes arcuateopenings 37, 38 in the bottom of the rear most part of the troughs.Directly below the opening are a pair of slinger assemblies comprising30 inch circular spinner elements 40, 41, mounted for rotation indirections c, d, respectively, via driven shafts 42, 43 extendingdownwardly from hydraulic motors 46, 47 secured to back wall 22 of tank11. Motors 46, 47 are coupled to pump 18 via appropriate hydraulic lines48 in a conventional manner for providing rotative force to the slingerassemblies. Extending upwardly from spinners 40, 41 are a plurality ofmaterial engaging fins 44, 45, respectively, for engaging materialdischarged from the tank through openings 37, 38. The number and shapeof the fins on the spinners is varied to accommodate the material anddesired spread pattern of the material being distributed rearwardly fromthe spreader as it traverses the field. The spread pattern can also bechanged by varying the volume of material delivered to the slingers. Tothis end, gate 50 (FIGS. 1 and 2) can be slideably adjusted to block orcompletely close openings 37, 38. Gate 50 is shown in the full openposition.

Now turning to FIGS. 4 and 5 for a detailed description of a feed assistassembly, generally designated by reference numeral 51. Also see FIG. 2,where the feed assist assembly is shown in the vicinity of opening 38.Only one feed assist assembly will be described hereinafter; however, itshould be understood that identical assemblies are used, one beingassociated with each of the augers. Rearwardly of where flighting 30 ofauger 27 terminates along core 52, adjacent opening 38 (see FIG. 2), arefour paddle assemblies 53, 54, 55, 56, secured axially along core 52.Four paddles 57, 58, 60, 61, extending at 90 degree increments, aresecured to rigid elements 62, 63, 64, 65, welded to core 52, by shearbolts 71, 72, 73, 74. Completing each paddle assembly, using assembly 56as an example, are semi-circular clamping elements 66, 67 that conformto the outer surface of core 52, and are held snugly in place by bolts68, 70 for conjoint rotation of the paddles with auger 27.

Thus, under conditions where feed assist assembly 51 is rotated indirection b, the forwardly facing surfaces 75, 76, 77, 78 of paddles 57,58, 60, 61, respectively, engage manure in the discharge area fordelivery to the slingers via the openings in the bottom of tank 11. Inthe event the material is frozen to a degree that it is not beingproperly fed through the opening the shear bolts will shear at apredetermined level of force in a conventional manner. When this occursrigid elements 62, 63, 64, 65 will break away from the paddles andcontinue to rotate with auger 27 and slice through the rigid materialthat is otherwise immovable via the paddles. The clamping force holdingthe paddles is set at a predetermined level sufficient to permitindependent rotation of core 52 within the semi-circular clampingelements when the shearing force of the shear bolts is attained.

A spreader is shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings in which theelements of the claimed invention are incorporated. In this apparatusthe rearmost portions of the augers 26', 27' comprise interruptedflighting 28', 30', that extends beyond the rear wall 22' to dischargematerial rearwardly from the tank to compartment 80 and then downwardlyto spinners 40', 41', which are disposed on shafts 42', 43' extendingbelow compartment 80'. Hydraulic motors 46', 47' rotate shafts 42', 43'which extend through the interruptions in flighting 28', 30. The forwardcomponents of the spreader (not shown) are identical to those shown inFIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

Of the many implicit and explicit advantages of the present inventionone of the most important is the provision of a spreader thataccommodates and distributes efficiently and effectively large amountsof material, especially slurry type manure of varying consistencies,regardless of weather conditions.

While preferred structure in which the principles of the presentinvention are shown and described above, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to such preferred structure, but that, in fact,widely different means of varying scope and configuration may beemployed in the practice of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
 1. A materialspreader comprisinga mobile tank for receiving, transporting anddischarging material to be distributed, a pair of augers rotatablemounted in said tank for conveying material received in said tank to adischarge area, each of said augers comprise a cylindrical core andflighting extending outwardly therefrom, an opening in the bottom ofsaid tank in the vicinity of said discharge area, distribution meansmounted outside said tank for receiving material discharged through saidopening and distributing it as the tank is transported over a field,said distribution means comprising a pair of slingers each associatedwith a corresponding auger and comprising a flat material receivingspinner member located below said opening, said material receivingspinner having material engaging means extending upwardly therefrom,said distribution means further comprising a pair of rotatable mountedvertical shafts on which said material receiving spinner members aremounted, and means for rotating said shafts in opposite directions,whereby material received in said tank is urged toward said dischargearea by said augers and delivered to said spinner members via saidopening whereupon it is engaged by said material engaging means andpropelled outwardly from said tank, said tank including a rearcompartment, said augers each having a rearward end section extendinginto said rear compartment, said opening disposed in the bottom of saidrear compartment, said flighting interrupted at said rearward endsection, and said vertical shafts extending through said interruptionsin said flighting.
 2. A material spreader as set forth in claim 1whereinsaid opening is directly below said rearward end sections of saidaugers.
 3. A material spreader as set forth in claim 2 whereinsaidspinners members are directly below said rearward end section of saidaugers.
 4. A material spreader as set forth in claim 3 whereinsaidvertical shafts extend in close proximity to the rear sections of saidcylindrical cores of said augers.
 5. A material spreader as set forth inclaim 1 whereinsaid vertical shafts extend in close proximity to therear sections of said cylindrical cores of said augers.